1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a power-supply unit that is used in hybrid automobiles, electric automobiles or the like, a busbar module that constitutes the power-supply unit and a wire arrangement body that constitutes the busbar module.
2. Background Art
For example, a power-supply unit that is shown in JP-A-2009-43637 (WO 2009/022521A1) is mounted in various automobiles such as electric automobiles that run using an electric motor, hybrid automobiles that run using an engine and an electric motor together and the like, as the electric power source of the electric motor. The power-supply unit includes a battery assembly having a plurality of batteries in which a positive electrode is provided in one end and a negative electrode is provided in the other end, and the positive electrode and the negative electrode are alternatively arranged adjacent to each other; and a busbar module that is overlapped in a surface in which the electrodes of the battery assembly are provided.
An example of the busbar module that is used in the power-supply unit is shown in FIG. 7 to FIG. 9C. The busbar module 101 as shown in each drawing includes a plurality of busbars 103 that connects between the electrodes of the adjacent batteries of the battery assembly not shown in the drawings so as to connect a plurality of batteries in series, a plurality of terminals 104 that is overlapped in each busbar 103 and are simultaneously connected to the electrode of each battery so as to be used for detecting the voltage of the battery, a plurality of wires 105 attached (connected) in each terminal 104, and a plate 106 as a wire arrangement body receiving a plurality of busbars 103, a plurality of terminals 104 and a plurality of wires 105. Also, in FIG. 7 and FIG. 8, a plurality of wires 105 is omitted. And, an arrow X in FIG. 7 and FIG. 8 shows the arrangement direction of a plurality of batteries.
The plate 106 includes a plurality of first receiving portions 160, a plurality of second receiving portions 164 as wire arrangement groove portions, a plurality of third receiving portions 168 and a plurality of lid portions 167.
The first receiving portion 160 is formed substantially in a tank shape including a bottom wall portion having a rectangular shape, and a peripheral wall portion that is vertically disposed from the surrounding edge of the bottom wall portion, so that the busbars 103 and terminals 104 are received in the first receiving portion 160. Also, a plurality of the first receiving portions 160 is aligned in a row so that the longitudinal direction thereof follows along the arrangement direction (the arrow X direction) of a plurality of batteries. Also, the adjacent first receiving portions 160 are connected to each other.
The second receiving portion 164 is formed in a tank shape (also called, a groove shape) having a bottom wall portion 165 and both side wall portions 166 and 166, and in which a plurality of wires 105 is received. A plurality of second receiving portions 164 is adjacent to each other and lined in a row so that the longitudinal direction thereof follows the arrangement direction (the arrow X direction). A row including the plurality of second receiving portions 164 is arranged in parallel with a gap to a row including a plurality of first receiving portions 160. Also, the plurality of first receiving portions 160 and the plurality of second receiving portions 164 are communicated by a plurality of third receiving portions 168 formed in tank shape.
The lid portion 167 is formed in the rectangular shape and covers the second receiving portion 164 so as to seal the groove opening 198 of the second receiving portion 164. One end portion of the lid potion 167 among the both edge portions (the long side portions) facing each other along the width direction (the arrow Y direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction (the arrow X direction)) is continuously provided in one side wall portion 166 of the second receiving portion 164 through a first hinge 191. The lid portion 167 is provided in the second receiving portion 164 to be able to open/close about the first hinge 191 as the center of rotation. The first hinge 191 is curved when the lid portion 167 covers (in other words, closes) the second receiving portion 164.
Also, a lock click 194 that is engaged in the click receiving portion 193 mounted on the outer surface of the other side wall portion 166 of the second receiving portion 164 is provided in the other side edge portion of the lid portion 167. The lock click 194 is engaged in the click receiving portion 193 so that the lid portion 167 maintains the state that the second receiving portion 164 is covered (in other words, closed) by the lid portion 167.
Also, a plurality of notch portions 195 that has substantially rectangular shape is provided in the other side edge portion of some of the lid portions 167 so as to take out the wire 105 that is arranged in the second receiving portion 164. Generally, the wire 105 is taken out from the end opening 199 of the second receiving portion that is arranged in an end of the plurality of second receiving portions 164 being lined in a row, however for example, in a case of the arrangement position of the power-supply unit that is provided in the automobiles, the wire 105 is taken out from the second receiving portion 164 that is arranged in near the center thereof, so that it is the case that the wire 105 can be easily arranged in the automobiles, for that reason, the notch portion 195 is provided.
The wire drawing piece 196 is continuously provided in the bottom end of the notch portion 195 (in other words, the edge portion faces the opening of the notch portion 195), through the second hinge 192. The wire drawing piece 196 is rotatably provided about the second hinge 192 as the center of rotation in the lid portion 167. A plurality of wires 105 that is taken out through the notch portion 195 from the second receiving portion 164 is attached in the wire drawing piece 196 by the tape 197 as a constraining member. Thus, the wire drawing piece 196 supports a plurality of wires 105 along a predetermined direction (the direction from the rear side to the front side in FIG. 8).
Thus, in the above described busbar module 101, the plurality of wires 105 is received and arranged in the second receiving portion 164 in which the groove opening 198 is closed by the lid portion 167, so that the plurality of wires 105 can be protected from the contact with the other members or impact from the outside and the disadvantage of the cutting, shorting or the like of a plurality of wires 105 can be prevented.
However, in the busbar module 101 (that is, plate 106), a center position P of the first hinge 191 and a center position Q of the lock click 194 are arranged to be deviated each other along an X direction, so that in the state that the lid portion 167 covered the second receiving portion 164, usually, a plurality of wires 105 is received in the second receiving portion 164 as shown in FIG. 9A. However, the curved first hinge 191 returns to the original shape (in other words, the lid portion 167 is opened), and a rotation force F1 (in other words, a force turns up the lid portion 167 about the first hinge 191 as a center of the rotation) that rotates the lid portion 167 in counterclockwise in the drawing, along the width direction from the center position P of the first hinge 191 is generated, thus there is a concern that the lid portion 167 is twisted and thus a portion of the other side edge portion (the edge portion of the other side wall portion) facing to the center position P in the width direction is floated, and the lid portion 167 is opened. Thus, the wire 105 is caught (bite of the wire) between the second receiving portion 164 and the lid portion 167 as the lid portion 167 is opened as shown in FIG. 9B, and the wire 105 is deviated from the second receiving portion 164 as shown in FIG. 9C, so that there is a problem that the plurality of wires 105 is not protected.